KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Rosanna Lopez came from Venezuela in the middle of the pandemic. Without proper documentation, she can’t work and depends on non-profits like the Salvation Army of Osceola County.

What You Need To Know

  • Proposal would have given Salvation Army $1 million a year for 5 years

  • Confusion over the original motion made in November 

  • City manager says the motion may have violated state law

“If it weren’t for agencies like this one, Osceola would be under chaos,” said Lopez.  

But now the agency she relies on so heavily might not have the funding they thought they could count on. On Tuesday, during a city workshop about homelessness, the motion to give the Salvation Army $1 million a year, for five years was deemed invalid.

The motion was made back on November 17 by Vice Mayor Felix Ortiz.  The motion, which was amended several times, ended up passing four to one with only Mayor Pro Tem Jim Fisher against the idea. 

During that November meeting, Ortiz told the board, “The motion can be on the contingency plan, we move from there… Mike and the staff will move forward and help us allocate the money.”

However during the homelessness workshop on Tuesday, City Manager Mike Steigerwald said the original motion was invalid. He told Spectrum News the approval of the motion may have been confusing, as it seemed like some commissioners understood things one way and others understood it in a different manner.  

“A million dollar allocation to the Salvation Army was done without a process… Without an open solicitation process. That would be in violation of chapter 287 of the Florida statute,” Steigerwald said. 

Ken Chapman, the area commander for the Salvation Army Of Osceola/Orange counties, said he is disappointed.

“We had already made plans to move forward aggressively to help people in this community immediately," Chapman said. "So this is going to delay the process. I have faith though that our numbers and our work will speak for itself.” 

“Under Florida Statute Section 287.057(3)(a)-(f), contracts for services higher than $35,000 have to hold a competitive bid,” said city attorney Olga Sanchez De Fuentes.

While there are exceptions to that rule in which procurement can be waived, Sanchez De Fuentes said, “The type of social services activity the city commission is proposing to fund doesn’t fall under any of those categories.” 

During the homelessness workshop, Sanchez De Fuentes said, “I think that motion fails and this is why we’re here, to clean up all that and to get direction and move forward with the process.”

The city has $1.55 million from state and federal housing sources and Coronavirus relief funds that they want to allocate towards social services. The city also has a $2.5 million request into the state legislature for additional funding.  

Commissioners approved to have city staff draft a “request for qualifications” so that nonprofits can enter their bids.

Representatives from several different agencies spoke during the workshop’s public comment, wanting to partner with the city. 

“Don’t be in too big of a hurry. You have to know where you came from to know where you’re going, and we’re going in the right direction,” Fisher said.

Lopez is hopeful Kissimmee makes the right choice for her. “Support these agencies who are helping us make it day by day,” she said.  

A second motion was also unanimously approved during the homelessness workshop. A motion Ortiz made, to cap the salary of administrators in the organizations submitting a proposal to no more than 25%. That means 75% of all the income from these agencies has to go to direct services.